Don’t Bring Internet Addiction Bootcamp To U.S.

Imagine being locked away in a secluded camp where your internet surfing rights are taken away. You’re stripped from your days of watching brand new videos like that new Nicki Minaj “Anaconda” video you just can’t miss or searching for those new Michael Kors bags your friend told you about.

Imagine that leisure time is gone. Most people wouldn’t want to be in a camp like this, but if you were in China and addicted to the internet, you’d be doomed.

In China, teenagers are encouraged by their parents to attend a camp such as this. These camps attempt to tackle internet addiction discovered by the country in 2008.

Addicted teenagers in China are taken to boot camps where their internet addiction is focused on, scrutinized and examined for better solutions.

As a college student who has a book report, research paper, or even a ton of assignments to get done by Monday, you not only want the internet, but you need it. Assuming a good majority of U.S. teenagers and young adults are addicted to the internet, a hardcore boot camp might not be the solution. Not to say teenagers and adults shouldn’t take a step back from the internet every once in a while, but China is doing it wrong! A normal day in one of these boot camps is a strict military-style environment. Why so harsh?

Chinese authorities claim internet addiction causes mental illnesses and have actually classified it as a mental disorder. Chinese authorities have also said addiction to the internet contributes to 70 percent of crime in China.

According to CNN, there have been reports of abuse in these camps. A 19-year-old woman was nearly beaten to death just for failing to ask permission to use the bathroom.

Why should teenagers be harshly punished just for playing too many games on their iPhone or searching the internet way too much? Though it is reported these teenagers do go a bit overboard, for instance spending way too much time on the internet to play video games for hours or even days at a time, this addiction should be handled in an entirely different way. The U.S. shouldn’t resort to this kind of behavior by implementing camps like these around our country. Let’s cross our fingers.